Term 4 Week 4 - November 5th, 2024

From The Principals Desk

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we enter week 4 of the term, not only is the weather heating up, so is the school calendar! We really are approaching the business end of the year. 

Our kindergarten students for 2025 have successfully and confidently begun their Junior Joey's Transition program, so beautifully supported by their future buddies and school leaders, our year 5 class. It is always an absolute pleasure to watch the older students interact with the little ones, they display such authentic excitement, love and care. Well done to our Junior Joey's for the resilience they have displayed in entering big school in a formal capacity for the first time and also to our wonderful year 5 students!

 We are launching our new parent representative group, the 'St Joseph's School Community Group' next Monday evening - please come along, all are welcome!!

We had a nice morning sharing our gratitude to Fr Anthony for his years of service on Sunday morning. I extend a huge thank you to those staff and family members who could make it to share in saying thanks to Fr Anthony. I share with you the speech I delivered on behalf of our three Parish School communities.

Good morning,

My name is Jason Clarke and I am the principal of St Joseph’s Primary School, South Murwillumbah. It is my pleasure to speak on behalf of our three parish schools today as we gather to honour and express our heartfelt gratitude to Father Anthony.

I've been blessed to work with Fr Anthony throughout his appointment as Parish Priest here in Murwillumbah. I express my sincerest gratitude to you for your support, understanding and counsel both personally and professionally as we navigated various challenges, changes and celebrations over the years. And I know that collectively all of the principals and staff members of our three parish schools feel likewise. Your presence and partnership have been a true blessing to our schools and parish community.

Your previous experience as a teacher is always evident when interacting with the students in our schools, you always meet them where they are at and explain and simplify worship traditions and Gospel teachings in a way their young minds can understand and apply to their own lives. 

Father Anthony, your unwavering commitment to our spiritual growth has touched the lives of countless students and families. Your kindness, humour,  genuine compassion and gentle nature always makes those around you feel at ease, you are an authentic pastoral leader and Christ like example.

Your engaging homilies and tireless work in nurturing our faith have left an indelible mark on our hearts. We will carry your teachings with us, instilling the values of love, service and gratitude in our daily lives.

As you step into this new chapter of your life, know that you leave behind a legacy of love and faith that will continue to guide us. We are deeply grateful for your years of service, and while we miss your presence in our schools, our doors are always open to you and we extend our unending welcome to you.

So, on behalf of all in our three parish school communities, We wish you every blessing throughout your recovery and may you grow stronger each day so that you can get back to the hobbies and leisure activities you hold so dear. Thank you, Father Anthony!

Make getting students to school on time every day a top priority.

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school and themselves. Ensuring that students arrive at school on time every day is crucial for their academic success and wellbeing. Parents play a crucial role in instilling the importance of punctuality in their children. Here are some strategies for parents to make getting students to school on time every day a top priority:

Establish a Consistent Routine. Set a daily routine that includes specific times for waking up, getting ready, having breakfast, and leaving for school. Consistency helps children develop good habits.

Model Punctuality. Children often learn by example. Demonstrate the importance of punctuality by being on time for family events, appointments, and other commitments. 

Limit or Have No Screen Time in the Morning. Minimise distractions such as excessive screen time in the morning. This helps your child stay focused on getting ready for school without unnecessary delays.

"You Can Do It!" Awards

WEEK 2 - Term 4

Kinder
Aiden Bourke for Persistence and Working Tough.
James Polson for Confidence and “I Can Do It” Thinking.

Year 1
Jaxson Dunning for Resilience and Bouncing Back.
Halen Jandura for Confidence and “I Can Do It” Thinking.

Year 2
Millie Anderson for Persistence and having a Growth Mindset.
Lillian Dryhurst-Evans for Confidence and Giving Effort. 

Year 3
Ariella Donaldson for Confidence and Giving Effort.
Charlie Culnane for Confidence and Giving Effort.

Year 4 
Kaeden Jandura for Persistence, Giving Effort & having a Growth Mindset.
Ella Hunt for Persistence, Giving Effort & having a Growth Mindset.

Year 5
Jaxon Mann for displaying Persistence and Giving Effort.
Chayse McLeod for displaying Organisation and Setting Goals.

Year 6
Max Bourke for Persistence, Giving Effort and Working Tough.
Ava Bray for Resilience, Bouncing Back and Being Independent. 

WEEK 3 - Term 4

Kinder
Kayley Bray for Persistence and “I Can Do It” Thinking.
Lexie Clarkson for Persistence and “I Can Do It” Thinking.

Year 1
Arlo Carter for Persistence and Giving Effort.
Bella Moore for Resilience and showing "I Can Be Independent."

Year 2
Macy Baker-Butler for Persistence and Giving Effort.                                                                                                                        Jasper Baartz for Confidence and "I Can Do It" Thinking.

Year 3 
Bailey Clarkson for Getting Along and Always Thinking Of Others.
Will Glasby for Getting Along and being Socially Responsible.

Year 4 
Xavier Workman for Confidence, Being Independent and Taking A Risk.
Loki Jenkins for Persistence, Giving Effort & having a Growth Mindset.

Year 5
Frank Ahrens for displaying Getting Along skills and being Socially Responsible.
Micah Bedser for displaying Getting Along skills and showing "I Can Do It" Thinking.

Year 6
Luke Stovold for displaying Confidence, Accepting Himself and showing "I Can Do It" Thinking. 
Isabella Higgins for Getting Along, Thinking First and being Socially Responsible.

Sharing the Gospel

                                               WALK-A-THON NEWS

            Walking in the footsteps of Jesus Walk-a-thon fundraiser champions received                                                   lunch from the Canteen to the value of $10.                                        Terrific effort - thank you!

Kinder - Skylar Colleton
Year 1 - Koa Segrave
Year 2 - Poppy Cudmore
Year 3 - Milania Jandura
Year 4 - Pippa Bourke
Year 5 - Ace Colleton
Year 6 - Brock Sasse                                                     

                                                     The class that raised the most was Year 5 receiving a pizza lunch.
                                                                                   Brilliant work Year 5 - Thank you!

                                                                     The total amount raised was $7,976.25

EXURO Faith Retreat

Exuro (Latin for “on fire”) is a student discipleship formation program for Year 5 students that will strengthen the lives of  students and keep the fire and passion of Proclaim Lismore Students alive in parish primary schools. 

Exuro is a one-day faith retreat experience using various prayer methods, group processes and student-led discussions to equip students to be faith leaders in their parish school communities. 

On Tuesday, Week 3 a group of Year five students attended the retreat led by Mrs Hughes.

Reflections by the students who attended:

By Imogen

Icebreakers, shared liturgies, heartwarming quotes, and speeches that could change lives—these are just a few of the many things we experienced at Exuro. Exuro is an event for Year 5 students across the diocese, designed to teach us kindness, resilience, and love for others.

At Exuro, I enjoyed meeting new friends and discovering that you’re never too young to love Jesus. I left with the powerful realisation that I can make a difference in the world, even through simple acts like smiling at someone or offering help. I believe anyone who participates in Exuro will love it, and I feel so grateful for the opportunity to be part of it.

By Jaxon

My time at Exuro was incredible, and I would recommend it to everyone! I had such a great time learning more about the Catholic faith, and the games were fantastic. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

By Nate

Exuro offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience that enriches your Catholic journey and deepens your connection with God. Through lasting friendships, you’re not only embarking on an extraordinary adventure but also building a supportive community that strengthens your faith and personal growth. "Love one another as I have loved you." — John 13:34-35

By Frank

At EXURO, we learned more about scripture, worked together as a team, and got to meet new and old friends. We also did some acting and played games, making it a fun and memorable experience!

By Levi

I Enjoyed Attending EXURO Because…

Attending EXURO was an amazing experience! The activities were perfectly suited to our age group, which made it easy to collaborate and work together. Learning about the sacraments in such a fun and engaging way was really effective. I absolutely loved EXURO!

By Isla

EXURO was SO MUCH FUN! We got to participate in a lot of religious activities, make new friends, and learn more about how we can be disciples. Some of the ways we learned to be disciples included helping others in need, following in Jesus' footsteps, and encouraging others to do the same. We also got to hear about the faith journeys of some youth ministers. At the end of the day, we received an EXURO bookmark, a certificate, and a candle. EXURO was the best experience ever!

By Noah

EXURO was an amazing experience and was EXTREMELY FUN! But it wasn’t just about the fun—it was also about what I learned. I learned that no matter what you have done, God will always be there for you and will remind you that He loves you.

By Annabel

EXURO was super fun, and everyone was really kind and friendly. We learned how our eyes, hands, and feet can help make a positive change in the world. The group I was in was amazing to work with! We had two Year 9 students, Mia and Stephen, and two other students from St. James, along with Imogen and me. Everyone worked really well together, and we did our best to invite and include people from other schools to join us.

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2024 HSC EXAMS
Please remember in your prayers all Year 12
students as they continue their Higher School
Certificate examinations until 7 November.

Curriculum News

ICAS Competition

ICAS is an academic competition that challenges students and recognises their achievements in core subjects. The assessments are held in Maths, English, Writing, Science, Spelling & Digital Technology.

The questions are engaging, fun, and written in a way that is entirely different to regular school assessments, aiming to test students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving abilities. 

ICAS exams are designed to be difficult because they aim to stretch students’ abilities beyond the regular classroom.  

 Congratulations to all the students who participated in the annual ICAS testing this year.

Year One Post Office Excursion

In English this term, Year One have been exploring our treasures and memories. Once we had picked a special memory, we wrote a letter to ourselves describing our memory in detail. 

This afternoon, we visited the Post Office at South Murwillumbah and posted our letters. We can’t wait to find them in our mail boxes later this week and put them away somewhere special so they can become a treasure of ours. 

We got to speak to the beautiful workers at the post office. Did you know they send up to 150 parcels everyday!!!! They also told us that our letters will have to travel all the way to Brisbane this week before coming back and being delivered into our mail boxes. 

Thanks to Mrs Keogh who also taught us how to address our envelopes as part of our learning in Geography! We can’t wait to find our letters in our mail boxes!!!!

We can't wait to receive our letter!

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Junior Joey's - Day One

Welcome to our 2025 Junior Joey's!

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Sports News

TWEED ZONE SUMMER SPORTS TRIALS: 

The Tweed Zone Summer Sport trials will begin this week for Touch Football (Monday afternoon) and Tennis (Thursday).  We wish the following students the best of luck at these trials and hope they have a wonderful experience:

Touch Football:  Monday (yesterday) at Banora Point St Joseph’s College.

Isla Alley, Shelby Walsh, Ella Hunt, Tahan Heterick, Esther Cambridge, Alayah Burns, Allira Smith and Ace Collecton.

Tennis  Thursday 12noon – 2pm Byron Courts.

Levi Campbell.

Basketball Tuesday 19^th November at Mt St Patrick College courts.

Frank Ahrens, Nate Linkins, Xavier Workman, Nakoha Heterick and Ella Hunt.  If there are any girls who play basketball in Year 4 or Year 5 please let the office or myself know and we can slot you into the trials – looking for as many girls as possible as we are very light on numbers this year!

MT ST PATRICK COLLEGE – BASKETBALL ACADEMY for Year 5- Year 12!

I received a very exciting call last Friday from the College.  Mt St Patrick College are starting a Basketball Academy for all students (future or current) ranging from Year 5 to Year 12!!  It is only open to St Joseph’s Primary and Mt St Patrick’s Primary students who are enrolling into the College in 2025 & 2026.  The Academy will begin this term!

If you choose to join this academy you will be training two mornings a week from 7am – 8am at the College basketball courts.  Coaches involved with the College are aiming to develop the junior team two years in advance which is why they are calling for students in Year 5 and Year 6 and plan to develop basketball right up to year 12 (for any older siblings already at the high school!).  This special academy is free for Term 4 thanks to the funding and support from NSW Basketball and will offer:

Coaching from top level NSW Basketball coaches, guided sessions at Red Box gym, nutrition sessions and strategy / mindset sessions as well as a full training academy uniform!

An expression of interest will go out on Compass to Year 5 and Year 6 students in the next week or so – I will notify parents and students once it is up.  There is no pressure to decide straight away, you may choose to join this squad next year (if your child is in Year 5 this year) or you may choose to join this squad once in Year 7.  Students already in high school will be invited through their teachers. It is very new in its development stage but I just wanted to let families know about this exciting new offer for those interested in basketball!

Library News

General News

LOST PROPERTY

Please ensure your child's school items have names on them.

We are once again collecting lots of lost property.

Canteen News

* Frozen fruit skewers are back on our menu for summer (watermelon / orange / berry) for 50c each

* Have a suggestion to add to our canteen menu? We welcome new ideas from students and families

Compass Help for Parents

Parish News

Tuesday 5 November                       5:30 pm - Mass
Wednesday 6 November                 5:30 pm - Mass
Thursday 7 November                     8:15 am - Mass
Friday 8 November                           9:30 am - Legion of Mary | Parish Meeting Centre
                                                                   11:00 am - Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
                                                                   12 noon - Mass
Saturday 9 November                      9:00 am - Rosary
                                                                   10:00 am - Mass of the Angels 
                                                                   5:30 pm - Rosary
                                                                   6:00 pm - Vigil Mass
Sunday 10 November                       8:30 am - Rosary
                                                                   9:00 am - Mass

Health and Wellbeing

Parent News

SUPPORTING HEALTHY TECH USE AS YOUR CHILD TRANSITIONS INTO HIGH SCHOOL.

This webinar explores the social pressures, peer influences, and technological challenges young people face as they transition into high school. It also offers practical strategies for navigating online friendships and connections to help minimise negative experiences.

It is suitable for parents and carers of children in upper primary school (ages 11 to 12) and Year 7.

Tuesday, 29 October, 12.30 pm
Thursday, 28 November, 12.30 pm

Click on registration link below:

eSafety 101: how eSafety can help you.

An overview of The eSafety Commissioner and supporting programs and resources for parents and carers, children, and young people.

It is suitable for parents and carers of children and young people in primary and secondary school.

Thursday, 24 October, 12.30pm
Wednesday, 4 December, 12.30pm

Click on  registration link below:

For Family Connect & Support and Helplines, click on links below.

Community News

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